


First Day of My Life

by SaunterVaguely



Series: As-Yet Untitled Superhero AU [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: AU, Belly Rubs, Kaiju Newton Geiszler, M/M, awkward babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-29
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-30 21:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1023695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaunterVaguely/pseuds/SaunterVaguely
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prequel to "Some Body To Love" and "I'm Not Done": the story of how Newt and Hermann met told in a series of firsts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Day of My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Someone stop me I keep adding to this series.

 

**First Contact**

A month after the kaiju attack, Hermann receives an email from a Newton Geiszler, asking for his analysis of the breach that allowed the creature to pass through. He says he's working on a paper on the biology of the kaiju. Hermann answers rather tersely at first, saying that he doesn't have the time or the energy to be answering fanmail from grad students. The response he gets is very detailed and informs him in no uncertain terms just how wrong he was to call it "fanmail" or to refer to Geiszler as a "grad student". Hermann looks him up then, and is rather stunned to realize that it's actually _Doctor_ Newton Geiszler that's addressing him. His second reply is apologetic, much more professional and courteous. Doctor Geiszler responds in kind, and they soon develop a rapport through email and even a few letters. 

It's strange. Hermann knows it's a cliche, but he's never... _felt_ this way before. He can talk to Doctor Geiszler about anything and everything, and he does. They discuss the kaiju and the breach, certainly, but they also talk about politics, the environment, literature, their favorite recipes, the occasional childhood story. Hermann sends him a box of assorted teas, and Newton promises to try all of them if Hermann will try the various sour gummy candies he sent. (He tries them and oh, lord no.) Hermann's never been able to talk to someone so easily about himself, about his leg and his work and his family. He asks, after a time, whether it would be possible for them to meet in person. He's so nervous waiting for the reply, fingers drumming against his desk every time he checks his email, and he realizes somewhere in there that he might be in love with a man he's never met.

Then the response comes, and it's strangely evasive and apologetic, but the message is clear: Newton doesn't want to meet. 

It shouldn't be as painful as it is, but the clench in Hermann's chest doesn't change no matter how he reasons with it. For all he knows, Newton could be happily married; why would he want to spend his time with a bitter old cripple? He doesn't send any further replies, and after a week of silence he gets a tentative email, apologizing once more and offering a new breakthrough in the makeup of the kaiju's respiratory system. His knowledge is always so amazingly intuitive, like he has a living, breathing kaiju on-hand. Hermann tells him as much and Newton's reply is the written equivalent of nervous giggling, followed by an in-depth discussion of Hermann's latest paper. Hermann's heart aches. Against his better judgement, he does another search on Doctor Geiszler and finds that not only is he not married, he's reclusive and hasn't been seen in weeks. He's cancelled all his lectures, and he's moved six times over the past year. It seems that Newton Geiszler may be just as asocial as Hermann, may even be agoraphobic, and he feels bad for pushing him. 

 

**First Sight**

When a squad of mechanical-human hybrids attacks Hong Kong, Hermann isn't exactly on the front lines of defense- he's telepathic, it's not the best power for the situation. He's running around behind the scenes, listening in on the mental buzz of the swarming crowds to pick out the masterminds behind it while a few of the more heavy-hitting "heroes" take care of the dangerous cyborgs. It seems that everyone is out in full force today: he saw Stacker Pentecost using his telekinesis to block a hybrid from landing any blows on Hercules Hansen, who was busy healing his son Chuck while the boy urged a flock of pigeons to attack the nearest cyborg. The Kaidanovskys and the Wei triplets have gone barreling into a crowd of angry cyborgs, and there are even a few new faces- Mako Mori, Pentecost's daughter, is flying in and out of the battle, lifting enemies and dropping them, and now there's some strange lizard monster crawling around- wait, is the lizard monster on their side or the mech-army's side? 

Whatever it is, it makes a low, reverberating, _terrifying_ sound and comes slither-stumbling toward him at an alarming speed and it's like- dear lord it's like a kaiju, like a miniature kaiju. Hermann curses and waves his cane helplessly, ducking down- and the creature swipes a massive wing-limb over him and knocks the head off the cyborg that had been standing behind him. Hermann looks up just as the monster turns away, and he catches a fragmented jumble of thoughts and scents and emotions.

_stupid machine-people stinky dumb_

Hermann blinks up at the thing, watching it glance back at him with four bright green eyes and getting a quick burst of sour-sweet taste, the smell of chamomile, and _run go be safe now_.

 _How odd_ , Hermann thinks. _I can sense that monster's thought patterns. I've never picked up animal thoughts before_. And then, _good god, that's a person in there_. And then, _good god, that's Doctor Geiszler_. He's not sure how he knows, but he _knows_ without a doubt that the creature that just saved him is his friend, his... the person he's grown so very fond of. He ducks behind a broken door, mind reeling, and leans on his cane as he tries to come to terms with this situation. Outside, the battle is dying down, and suddenly he knows that he absolutely will not miss this opportunity. 

 

**First Meeting**

Hermann goes wobbling out into the street once more, eyes sharply scanning for the big blue-green shape of the kaiju-creature among the small crowd of Pentecost's people, who are high-fiving and checking for any remaining cyborgs. Miss Mori spots him and comes bouncing over, beaming victoriously. 

"Doctor Gottlieb! I 'm glad you are well!" She has a small scratch across one cheek, but otherwise seems fine.

"Yes," he agrees. "I- apologies, Miss Mori, but have you seen a sort of... big bluish creature running about?"

"Oh!" She blinks and turns to point at the small, dark-haired man leaning against a building and struggling into a pair of tight-fitting jeans. Hermann can't see his face, but he can tell from here that the man's skin is a swirl of colored ink, and that he has a slightly paunchy belly. "That's Doctor Geiszler. He's a bit... odd."

"Yes, I expect so," Hermann nods respectfully and goes striding toward the small figure. When he gets close enough, he clears his throat, feeling his heart pounding against his ribs, and calls out, "Doctor Geiszler?"

Newton pauses, arms half-caught in the sleeves of his shirt, and stares at him briefly before stumbling and falling forward to the ground. Hermann winces and steps in, reaching out, but when Newton rears back up he's suddenly much taller, scales rippling down his form as he rips right through his clothes. The creature hunches in on itself briefly, and Hermann catches a rush of _terror panic scared oh no oh no_ before it spins and goes galloping away down an alley.

"Wait-" Hermann runs after him as best as he can, following into the alley to see Newton trying to claw his way up a wall above a dumpster. "Now, really!" He scolds, stopping a few paces back. "Stop that at once!"

The strange kaiju-man halts, looking guiltily over his shoulder, and slides slowly down the wall. When he hits the ground he goes scrambling behind the dumpster, making low, miserable sounds like a whale in distress.

Hermann stamps his cane against the ground, amazed at his own boldness. "Newton Geiszler, come out from behind that dumpster at once! You are a doctor, there is no reason for you to be hiding among rubbish!"

The sounds dwindle away to a sort of confused pinging and clicking, and then the big head of the creature comes peeking out. Newton's eyes are worried despite his fearsome appearance, and his tail drums nervously against the ground as he steps forward. 

"That's it," Hermann encourages, and he offers a hand with only a brief hesitation, hoping he won't be bitten.

Newton shuffles forward on his pinioned wings and powerful back legs, bat-like nose flaring as he sniffs, and Hermann gets a flash of _Hermann oh chamomile chalk happy-scared no no no_. He carefully reaches out and places his palm against the big scaly snout, feels Newton lean into the touch ever so slightly.

There's a strange sensation that passes between them- a sort of slow whoosh of such utter calm and safety and togetherness that Hermann closes his eyes and basks in it, and when he opens them his hand is resting atop the head of the shorter man, who is very much human. 

Newton is also very much naked, as it turns out, and when the blissful expression clears from his face he turns bright red and coughs, shuffles back a few steps. "Um."

Hermann shakes his head, slipping out of his tweed jacket and tugging it onto Newton's shoulders. "Hello, Doctor Geiszler. I'm Doctor Gottlieb."

The shivering, nearly-nude man grins weakly, squinting up at him. "Call me Newt."

 

**First Fight**

Five minutes later, they're debating furiously on the likelihood of a second breach occurrence and no one around them understands a word of it. Newt has found a second set of clothing (borrowed from a man called Tendo, who offered them with a kind grin and an amused chuckle), which are oversized but work well enough, and his glasses which were tucked away in a locker in one of the nearest buildings. His voice gets higher and scratchier with each new point he brings up, and Hermann's face gets redder and redder. 

"Doctors," they are interrupted when Pentecost steps in and stands before them, imposing and commanding their attention. He nods at them both. "Well done out there. I want to talk to you about-"

"The Avengers Initiative?" Newt asks daringly, beaming, and then yelps when Hermann jabs his foot with the cane.

Pentecost does nothing more than raise an eyebrow. "The Shatterdome, Doctor."

"Oh yeah, sure, that- ow!"

The marshal continues, amazingly unaffected. "As you may know, the 'dome is a place for people of our... abilities... to gather together to fight against the forces like those we fought today." He nods at the scattered remains of the cyborgs around them. "I would like to offer you a place among our ranks. I think your skills could be of great use to us and to the world. What do you say?"

They both stare up at him in a mix of awe and consideration. Newton glances at Hermann and then back at Pentecost before haltingly stammering out, "Uh, are- are you talking to me or him? 'Cause if you're only talking to me, I gotta tell you, I'm not goin' anywhere without Hermann."

"Likewise," Hermann declares, jutting his chin out proudly.

"Gentlemen," Pentecost says, the slightest hint of amusement gleaming in his eye. "Since you two appear to be inseparable, I was speaking to both of you. And I believe your talents will be equally helpful to us."

"Oh. Well then yeah, man, sign me up!" Newton's voice squeaks embarrassingly but he ignores it when he feels Hermann's hand wind around his waist and hears him add, "Myself as well, Sir."

 

**First Kiss**

"Holy shit, dude," Newt says as the marshal walks away, leaving them each holding a card to present when they arrive at the Shatterdome the next day. "Holy shit this is like... the best day of my life. What that hell."

Hermann smiles despite himself, refusing to remove his arm until requested. "It's been a good day for me as well."

"Not 'good day', man, I said 'best day of my life'. Of my _life_ , Herms," Newt insists.

The older man wrinkles his nose at the nickname. "It's Doctor Gottlieb. Hermann if you must."

"I must, Hermann, I really must." Newton slings an arm of his own around Hermann's shoulders and presses up against him, thoroughly ignoring any conventional personal space notions or social graces. "Seriously, though, like... I dunno, I never thought I'd get to meet you."

"You seemed rather resistant to the idea," Hermann says huffily. 

" _Dude_." Newt nudges him with an elbow. "I literally turn into a _giant alien reptile_ when I'm nervous or excited. And trust me, meeting you in person? You saw me. Big flaily terrifying monster. Nerves and excitement all over the place. Like, I accidentally transformed a couple times just from _reading your emails_ , okay?"

Hermann flushes at that, ridiculously pleased at the thought, but he halts and turns to look at the smaller man. "Newton. You are not a monster."

Newt stares up at him, cheeks red and eyes wide behind his glasses, and oh that's it- Hermann has to kiss him.

He makes a surprised, high-pitched sound when Hermann's lips press against his, and he immediately crowds closer, demanding more. Hermann is happy to oblige, one hand fumbling upward and cupping Newt's cheek gently. 

They part with a soft wet sound, and Hermann's thumb traces over Newt's reddened lower lip, delighting in the noise he makes in response. 

"Uh. So," Newt clears his throat, swallows, tries again. "So uh, wanna get dinner?"

 

**First Date**

They go to a small, outdoor restaurant, because as Newt says, "I do better outside, especially if I get too jumpy and change. Trust me, I've destroyed enough furniture and doorways to know that much."

Hermann orders pork baau, and Newt gets a bowl of dau fu faa and three skewers of fish balls. He explains that transforming several times makes him really, really hungry, and after gobbling down his first two courses he goes back for another milk tea and a big serving of cheung fun. They don't talk much- neither of them feels the need, like they have all the time in the world. 

After the meal, they go walking down the street together, and Newt insists that they stop and get dessert. He gets tong yuen and Hermann opts for a single scoop of chocolate ice cream. As they stroll on, Hermann gives up on his dessert and offers it to Newton, who takes it after a brief hesitation. 

"Sooo, where are you staying?" He asks as he finishes the last bite. 

"Oh," Hermann blinks, realizing that he hadn't booked a hotel room. "Well, I actually- hmm. I suppose there's a hotel around here somewhere?"

"I mean yeah but they're not exactly cheap. And you might get bed bugs." 

"Oh, good," Hermann says dryly. 

"But listen Herms," Newt swallows and scratches the back of his neck. "You could stay at my place if you want. Not-" He hold up both hands nervously. "Not like- undercover sexy things type stay at my place, just- just a place to sleep, kind of thing. My apartment is like a block away."

"I..." Hermann glances at him, sees the nervous widening of his eyes. "Yes, alright. That sounds good."

 

**First Night**

Newton's apartment is... not exactly what Hermann was hoping for. It's in a crumbling building, the halls of which smell faintly of feet and a roach population he does not wish to speculate on. 

"Yeah, sorry about that," Newt says apologetically. "That's what happens when you turn into a big weird lizard at the drop of a hat- you kinda need to move a lot and most of the places that don't ask questions are like this one."

Hermann wants to both scold Newt for living in such a place and scold the universe for making his situation such that he cannot live anywhere else. He follows Newton to the apartment at the end.

The interior is sparsely decorated, most of Newt's belongings still packed in the three boxes in the corner. There are two mattresses against one wall, pressed together and covered in scattered bedding, and a mini-fridge next to them. "Sorry again," Newt says. "Thank god we get rooms at the Shatterdome, right?" 

"Indeed." Hermann looks around and is pleased to find that while it's haphazard and disheveled, the room is not as filthy as the rest of the building. The mattresses look surprisingly comfortable and the sheets look clean. 

"So yeah..." Newt coughs and shifts in place. "Um. W-want a drink or something? I've got... beer. And maybe some milk? And I think half a package of poptarts somewhere."

"No, thank you." Hermann shrugs out of his jacket and hangs it on the hook on the back of the door. "I think perhaps, after such a long day, we should just go to bed."

"Right!" Newt flails a little and shuffles over to the mattresses. "Of course. I can, uh, I can pull one of these away and get it made up in just a sec..."

"There's no need for that, Newton." Hermann arches a brow and undoes the top two buttons of his shirt, toeing out of his shoes. "I'm sure we're capable of sharing a bed, especially such a big bed."

"You- really?" Newt's voice goes a bit scratchy again. "You'd do that for me? Er, you- you'd do that with me."

"I realize it's a bit improper, but we do seem to be moving comfortably at a rather swift pace. I'm fine with it if you are."

"Yeah, no, of course that's- totally. Totally fine." Newt's cheeks are bright red once again. "No problem."

"Thank you, Newton." Hermann bends down and kisses Newt lightly, then has to stumble backward when suddenly he's standing in front of a stunned-looking, scaly green creature. He falls backward, landing heavily on his ass, and cries out involuntarily. 

Immediately Newt crouches down and hovers over him like a mother hen, sending a stream of worried babble toward him. 

_oh Hermann sorry Newt-kaiju so sorry sorry Hermann hurt? please no hurt please please sorry_

"It's- it's fine, really, I'm alright." He takes the offered tail and one of the tendrils that curls down from Newt's back to help him stand. "I've had worse falls. I just wasn't expecting-"

_sorry can't help it got excited_

"I know, Newton. It's okay. How long will it take you to change back?"

_not sure not until calm_

That makes some sense at least. Hermann nods and walks over to the bed. "Well then, perhaps we should both lie down and try to sleep?"

The response is so enthusiastic that he can't be put off by the idea of sleeping next to such a big, dangerous-looking creature. 

_yes yes yes Hermann sleep Newt-kaiju bed yes sleep cuddle happy warm_

The thought-smell-speech is welcoming and full of anticipation, but there's an undercurrent of painful discomfort. "Newton? Are you hurt?"

The kaiju doesn't answer, just ducks his head and looks sheepish. 

"Newton."

Newt makes a mournful warbling sound and waddles backward onto the mattresses before flopping over and curling up.

_tummy hurt_

"You have a stomach ache? From all the food?" Hermann undoes his belt and sets it aside, crawling onto the bedding next to him.

 _chocolate bad for Newt-kaiju_ , is the slightly reluctant response. 

"Oh, Newton," Hermann says sympathetically, automatically reaching out and running his hand over the surprisingly warm, smooth skin of the creature's belly. "Poor dear, I didn't know."

The sad noises die away suddenly to a deep rattling sound that has Hermann whipping his hand away instinctively, worried he's set off some defense mechanism. The response is immediate.

_no Hermann no stop please more tummy touch please nice pretty Hermann_

Hermann can't help it; he snorts at the frantic plea, carefully placing his hand back on Newt's belly and rubbing slowly in big circles. Right away the thrumming sound builds back up, and he realizes that that's Newt _purring_. That's... adorable.

He curls up as close as he can get, wary of the spikes and tendrils along Newt's spine. The big creature rolls a bit, so that his stomach is exposed and his back is hidden, making it easier for Hermann to cuddle up next to him and keep up the gentle petting. 

It's surprisingly easy to fall asleep that way, spooned up next to the living heating pad that is Newton. The warmth feels good on his leg, and the continuous rumble of the purr is soothing. His eyes are just slipping shut when he feels Newt shrink down in his arms, until he's holding a sound asleep, naked man. 

He's good with that.


End file.
